


Hyltide Eve

by StevetheIcecube



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Christmas, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 12:44:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17141993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StevetheIcecube/pseuds/StevetheIcecube
Summary: It's the night before the winter festival and the words of an inhabitant of Kakariko Village make Link remember the same night one hundred years ago.





	Hyltide Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick Christmas Eve fic :) I wrote (well, am writing, I haven't finished one yet) four different fanfics for Christmas this year - I hope everyone has a good holiday!

The leaves on the trees had just been turning yellows and oranges when Link had woken up in a world that held all the force of a disaster he couldn’t remember. When they’d started falling, he’d thought the end of the world was coming before a very exasperated traveller who probably thought he’d been born yesterday told him that it was normal.

Now, it was a few months on from that, and it was cold. Really cold, almost everywhere, and Link had definitely run out of stuff to do in Gerudo Desert or Death Mountain. At this time of year the Hebra Mountains were completely and indisputably off limits just because of how cold it was. So that left him heading east again on his way to Zora’s Domain in the hope that the water hadn’t turned to ice.

On the way, he stopped in the Sheikah village. It was protected from the full force of all the winds and was almost warm in comparison to the world outside, so he decided to stop for a few days. Run errands, stock up on warm food, probably talk to Impa a couple of times. It was a good idea, for the sake of his survival.

A couple of days in, people started hanging cream and blue lanterns everywhere. Naturally, Link asked them what they were doing; it was freezing, so why were they celebrating as all their food froze in the ground and not a single animal was out in the deadly silence of the woods?

The two Sheikah he’d approached laughed good-naturedly - they all knew who he was and were always very understanding when he didn’t know something. “We’re celebrating midwinter,” they explained. “Commonly known as the time of year the Goddess was first born in human form. By tradition, it’s her coming that begins the dispelling of winter.”

Link nodded. “By tradition?” He asked.

“Well, the winter isn’t actually dispelled by the Goddess,” the Sheikah explained. “It’s caused by the turning of the planets. There’s a whole lot of science behind it that I don’t understand, but that’s the truth of it. It’s still fun to celebrate, though.”

Link nodded again, his head feeling slightly foggy. The words that had just been spoken were achingly familiar. He...remembered them, or similar words being spoken before. Quickly, he excused himself and made his way back to the room he’d been given to stay in while he was there. 

It hadn’t happened quite like this before. Normally, when he saw something, he’d remember. Sometimes it did end up being things that were very similar to things he’d encountered before, but it had never just been words before.

Link closed his eyes and let the memory overtake him.

-

The wind howled around them, the snow whipping around in all directions until even Link was unsure where they were really heading. But he couldn’t show that to the Princess, in case she became afraid. It was his job to keep her safe, after all, and if he couldn’t even do that, she was definitely right that he probably shouldn’t be in this position.

“Could we stop somewhere for the night, Link?” Zelda’s voice called, her words half lost to the winds. Link slowed his horse further, turned to her, and nodded, before attempting to clear his vision even slightly to find some shelter. If they’d been travelling on schedule, they’d be in open fields right now, but he didn’t think they’d made it out of the forested region yet. Maybe there’d be a cave somewhere nearby, or at least shelter under the trees.

He turned Epona towards the trees to the left, which was closer to the cliff edge of the small ravine they were travelling through. After a moment, he checked that Zelda was following, and continued moving slowly through the snow.

It took even longer of feeling like he was going to freeze to death before they found anywhere (Zelda, the lucky thing, had a very warm and thick looking coat. He hadn’t had the foresight to grab anything of the sorts), and even then it was only just big enough for the two of them. The horses couldn’t fit inside, but if they left them out in the storm...Link didn’t know if they’d make it through the night if the storm kept up.

“I’ll let them go to keep warm,” he told Zelda, who looked concerned but otherwise understanding. Hopefully they’d find somewhere a little warmer, or do...whatever wild horses usually did when it was cold. Link didn’t know.

Once they were settled and Link had managed to get a fire going, Zelda spoke up again. “It’s the night before the Hyltide Festival,” she said. “Did you realise?”

Link shook his head. If he was being honest, he didn’t know what that was. People who lived in the centre of Hyrule had some pretty funny traditions and he’d never had the time to keep up with them between...everything. Sure, he knew that everyone participated in festivities during the winter, but he hadn’t known what they were called.

“Normally I spend it at home,” she said. “Praying overnight, in the hope that with the rising of the new sun, the spirit of Hylia will awaken in me in the same way she shifts the movement of the seasons.”

Link nodded. He wasn’t really sure what he was meant to say to her about that. “Of course, Hylia herself doesn’t dispel the winter,” Zelda continued. “It’s caused by the turning of the planets. But the festival has symbolic meaning, and it’s quite fun to celebrate.”

Link nodded again. The only thing he knew about the festival was the feasting and the giving of gifts, and he didn’t have anything to give to Zelda. “Is the meal tonight or tomorrow?” he asked.

“Tomorrow,” she said. “Why? We can’t go back to the castle, we’re meant to be on the way to Zora’s Domain.”

“You’ll see,” he said. He had berries and nuts in his pack, and they’d pass an inn tomorrow where he could buy some flour and sugar, for sure. He knew what he’d do tomorrow. Even if it wouldn’t compare to the way royalty usually ate on Hyltide, it would be something.

-

The memory cut out there, and Link couldn’t help but be disappointed. He’d wanted...he’d wanted to see Zelda’s smile when he presented his creation to her. He’d wanted to hear what she said, and know more about what his past self had known about the holiday.

But it didn’t matter, he supposed, staring into the distance where he could practically feel the wisps of the Calamity surrounding the Castle. It didn’t matter, because next Hyltide, he’d celebrate with Zelda at his side. Next Hyltide, none of this would be hanging over their heads, and everything would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you can, please leave a comment :) feedback is really encouraging.


End file.
